Extra selection tools for the Walgett bull sale this year. And we are here to support you to pick the right bull for your program.
Te Mania Angus director Tom Gubbins said if restrictions tighten it is only a matter of time before we hold bull sales where nobody except the auctioneer and a few others are able to attend.
He said at the Te Mania Angus northern bull sale in Walgett, on August 11, buyers can attend, adhering to strict social distancing controls.
Tom said while “it figures” the pandemic would eventually impact cattle sales, the beef industry doesn’t need to miss a beat because it “has figures”.
But he warned you need to use the right ones to get the best result for your herd.
It’s all very well to put up a bull for sale and describe its ‘actual’ figures, such as birthweight or scanning numbers, but all they do is describe the animal in front of you.
You buy a bull because you want its calves, and for that you need to fully understand the animal’s EBVs.
“When you are buying a bull, sight unseen, it is the EBVs you can – and should – trust,” he said. That is the reason that the Te Mania Angus nucleus herd is renowned for breeding consistent animals. This is the way we have always done it.
“We rely on comprehensive Breedplan analysis and large contemporary groups, as well as independent structure and temperament assessment of every animal in the herd, full veterinary checks and appropriate disease prevention – that’s the complete set of figures to make the best selection for the genetic profile of your whole herd.”
Tom said with the Te Mania Angus Walgett sale impacted by coronavirus, we have videoed every bull in the sale catalogue for the first time, for those who cannot attend on the day.
He said that meant as well as the extensive data available on each lot you can see the bulls as if you were there in the pen with them. The videos are on the Te Mania Angus Sale page, and on AuctionsPlus while as each bull sells”.
We are also available to talk to you about individual bulls.
AuctionsPlus will also allow you to bid from home on August 11 while the bulls are in Walgett – or you can have your agent bid for you.
Before you buy any bull you must know your own herd and its environment. What do you want from your bull, and what do you actually need? Which facets of your beef enterprise are working well and which areas need improvement?
All your quantifiable characteristics or traits can be matched to an EBV. For example, how is your fertility level? What is your weaning rate, do the calves get to the required departure date easily? The more calves you wean and the faster they grow, the less they cost you,” Tom said.
“That’s what your bull is meant to deliver for you – it should sire progeny that perform to your specifications, based on the strengths and weaknesses of your herd, to ensure you can achieve optimum profitability.”
“We encourage the use of $Indexes – once you know your herd, and the market to which you are selling, then selecting your bulls is much easier with the use of $Index values.
“$Index values allow you to select the bull that will produce progeny that fit the specifications for your market.
“$Index values are beneficial in many ways but even if you are unfamiliar with Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s), the $Index values will summarise the profitability of each bull for a particular market for you.”
For example, if you are breeding cattle for the grassfed market, select the top 20 per cent of bulls in a catalogue for the Grass Fed $Index and work back from there.
We encourages breeders to “embrace Breedplan – it might not be perfect as it is an estimation of genotype, but it sure is better than relying on eye alone”.
Work out how much you can afford to spend on each bull and how many bulls you need.
Go through the catalogue and cross out any bulls you don’t like (i.e. not high enough $Index for your market). A search and sort function on the Te Mania Angus online bull sale catalogues can help with that.
“If you need five bulls, have at least 20 in the catalogue you like, you don’t want to spend twice as much as your budget because you didn’t have enough options.”
It is important to us that you make the best possible choices for your herd. If we can help, please get in touch to – Tom Gubbins Ph 04299 952 197 or Hamish McFarlane Ph 0427 641 606.
